


when your weather's shifting

by perfectlyrose



Series: a young mountain and a strange girl [9]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 01:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9576707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlyrose/pseuds/perfectlyrose
Summary: Rose is worried about something which, in turn, worries John.





	

**Author's Note:**

> ninth in the "a young mountain and a strange girl" series // as always, inspired by the song "Strange Girl" by The Zolas
> 
> Set a couple of years after "it was love" and during their last year of uni.
> 
> \------------------------
> 
> _I know you oh so well / since we were fifteen / so well I feel my joints / when your weather's shifting_

John watched Rose from his spot holding up the kitchen doorframe as she flitted around the kitchen of their flat. She had kicked him out of the room when he’d tried to help her with making a tea tray for their Saturday morning telly watching date. Sometimes it was the only time they had to watch shows with the way their course loads were in this last year of uni and he cherished the time spent snuggled up with her on the sofa, ignoring the world outside of their tiny bubble of happiness.

Something was different this morning though. Normally he was up at least an hour before Rose and brought her her first cuppa in bed since she was in no way a morning person. But when he drifted awake this morning, the sheets on Rose’s side of the bed were cold and he could hear her moving about the flat.

He’d checked the clock to make sure he hadn’t overslept but it still showed seven AM on the dot and the furrows in his brow deepened as he tried to figure out why Rose was already up and about.

John had grabbed a shirt and then gone to greet her and a quick kiss before she shooed him out towards the couch, telling him to get The X-Files queued up and she’d be out with tea in a mo. He’d stayed close though, still feeling like something was off. Rose had obviously been up long enough to have finished her first cup of tea and start assembling breakfast and the way she was moving constantly was telling him that there was  _ something _ bothering her.

Wordlessly, he took the tray from her and carried it to the coffee table in front of the couch. Rose followed with the mugs.

It was only when they were sat on the sofa, with their show pulled up that he brought it up.

“What’s wrong, Rose?” he asked, putting down the remote before hitting play and directing his gaze at her.

She froze in the middle of picking at her nail polish, caught out. “Nothing. Just couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d make breakfast for once.”

“Could sleep through a war, you could,” John argued, reaching out to wrap one of his hands around hers. “You’re worried about something.”

Rose bit down on her bottom lip. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?”

John chuckled. “Always surprising me, you are, but I’ve got a good handle on your moods these days.”

Rose rolled her eyes but the expression was paired with a fond smile. John took that as his cue to pull her closer so that she could rest her head on his chest. She was still more comfortable talking about things when her face was hidden, even after a couple years of them being together.

He ran his fingers lightly up and down her spine, waiting for her to relax and hopefully tell him what was going on.

“Had a meeting with my advisor yesterday,” she said after a minute.

“Alright. You generally like your advisor, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s great.”

“But…” John led her.

“But she wants me to figure out what I’m doing after I graduate. Keeps asking me about it,” she mumbled, snuggling closer.

John’s mouth tightened into a line. “You’ve always talked about doing something with art or writing. Didn’t she have some suggestions for you?”

“Course, but I couldn’t focus on them. Kinda started panicking.”

“Any particular reason?”

“It’s stupid,” Rose hedged.

“Not if it’s worrying you it’s not.”

Rose peeked up at him. “I still don’t understand how you’re so patient with all of my hangups, Doctor.”

“Because I love you. And you put up with all of mine too and I’ve got plenty.”

“Mmm, love you too,” she said, breaking eye contact to curl back into his chest.

“What panicked you, Rose?”

She was silent for a long moment. “What if we don’t end up in the same place when we graduate? We’re not exactly going into similar fields.”

“You think I’m just gonna let you move away again?” John asked keeping his voice purposefully light, knowing she didn’t need to realize that he worried too. “Didn’t have a choice back in high school but I’ve got one now.”

“Yeah?”

“Follow you to the ends of the earth, I would, if you wanted me to.”

Rose shifted to look up at him again. “I always want you to.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Then I always will. Not gettin’ rid of me just because you go and get your fancy degree and take the world by storm with your art.”

“You’re the one who’s gonna take the world by storm,” Rose argued. “What with that big brain of yours and the theories you’re working on…”

“Rose, you’re going to be as famous as the queen one day and people are going to be wondering who the bloke with the daft face is holding your hand is and what you’re doing with him.”

Rose sat up and swung a leg over him to straddle his lap and look him square in the face. “Well I’m just going to tell them that I happen to love this daft old face and snog you in front of everyone.”

She decided a demonstration was in order and threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck that was just long enough these days for her to get a grip on it, and pulled him in for a thorough snog.

Their tea was cold by the time she slid off his lap and started the episode of The X-Files but she was much better than a caffeine fix anyways.


End file.
